Somebody send me a post for the blog that led off with” “People like Donald Savoie (UofM), David Campbell, Peter Linfield and Don Desseraud (UNB) seem remarkably quiet about this election. Why are some of these experts not ‘beating the…
Continue ReadingThe best defence is a good offense
A few years ago I set up a Google News Alert to monitor stories about Canada’s Equalization program. It seemed to me then (the time of McGuinty’s fairness campaign) that the program was under seige from a number of groups…
Continue ReadingAn instructive case in populist point
I don’t spend a lot of time responding to everyone who comments on my blog here or elsewhere but there was a comment to my blog on populism over here at the People’s Alliance of New Brunswick site that really…
Continue ReadingA bit on populism
I see the Tories have adopted the slogan of putting New Brunswickers first. The Peoples’ Alliance Party is also using populism as its core thrust. I realize this is a great tool for rallying votes but I struggle to find…
Continue ReadingSlow wage growth in NB
This is a bit unexpected. New Brunswick has the slowest year over year wage growth (May 2009 to May 2010) among the 10 provinces. Not sure why this is the case. I know the provincial government froze wage increases –…
Continue ReadingSavoie dissects Nova Scotia
Donald Savoie’s new report on the future of economic development (and other things) in Nova Scotia is out. He is not recommending consolidation as some had suggested of the various organizations (NSBI, ERD, Innovacorp, etc.) but it does seem he…
Continue ReadingSmall jurisdictions can compete
One of the things I like about industry reports such as this is they remind me that small jurisdictions can be very successful competing against large jurisdictions in attracting investment into important, fast growing industries. If I had a nickel…
Continue ReadingThe uncertain post-industrial era
This is a very thoughtful and well written article on the complexities associated with economic development in rural New Brunswick – or what the subject of the piece calls rural New Brunswick – the Canada Research Chair in New Brunswick…
Continue ReadingUnilateral disarmament: Part 704
This is one of those recurring themes on this blog because it keeps coming up. Here is a really well written argument against subsidizing the film industry – right up until his concluding comment. The raw bottom line is this:…
Continue ReadingBullish on Ireland
For over 20 years, Ireland was among the leading companies in the OECD for economic and population growth. In the late 1980s, I remember hearing about airplanes full of insurance forms leaving New York to be processed in Ireland and then sent…
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